Humanities (HUM) and Social Sciences (SOC) Research- and Interdisciplinary synergies

The HUM and SOC synergies’ contribution to positive bottom line results is generallyconsidered a fact. However, exact knowledge about the leverage effects for innovation and growth is still to be developed.

DEA – The Danish Business Research Academy’s recently published survey to map specific challenges and requirements as contributions to business solutions from both science fields, is now followed by a EU – Framework Programme 7 (FP7) – initiative:

Interdisciplinary research.

To a still larger extent the European Commission stresses the importance of inter-disciplinary research projects. Especially, the dimension of the humanities and social science has attracted attention and can be important in the evaluation of a project. For instance, the following areas within the humanities and social sciences are often important sub points in the evaluation in the themes of energy, environment, IT, provisions and healthcare:

-The socio-economic and cultural dimension of a research result.

-Dissemination of research results to the press and the public.

-How to translate research results into policy.

-The regulatory and ethical aspects of research.

-The engagement of civil society.

-Corporate Social Responsibility.

A good project within the themes of energy, environment, IT, provisions and healthcare can ultimately be dropped, if the above is not taken into consideration.

The aim of the project is to:

–gather researchers, SMEs and business organisations in interdisciplinary research working groups in preparation for consortiums and in preparation for applying to future calls for proposal,

-increase the participation of researchers and SMEs in the projects related to the socio-economic science and humanities area of FP7, including participation in those projects of researchers with no EU experience,

-increase the public and political awareness of the value of research within the humanities and social sciences,

-clarify the interests and needs of the partners involved in the project in relation to FP7, and

-improve political lobbying within the interest of the project partners.

The project will cover the following activities:

-start up activities relevant to the project partners,

-facilitate the job of working groups and hence ease the creation of research consortiums with focus on socio-economic science and humanities, gathering information on Danish and international researchers and SMEs, having an interest in specific research themes, and contacting them with a view to their participation in the project,

-arranging international conferences with focus on the specific calls in FP7 concerning the socio-economic science and humanities,

-monitoring and informing researchers, SMEs and policy-makers about the development of FP7.